Temporal Mechanics
by Inexplicably Waiting
Summary: This is the story of a predestination paradox - where the beginning is the final destination. A different twist on the classic Spock/Uhura Academy origins story. Will also prominently feature Kirk, McCoy, Pike, Chekov, Gaila, Sarek, Amanda Grayson, and at least one original character.


**~O~O~O~ Chapter 1 ~O~O~O~**

A/N: This first chapter might be a bit confusing due to so many things all happening at the same time, in different locations. I tried to make the chronological order as easy to follow as possible by listing the exact time at which each scene takes place, and then I described how it relates chronologically to the clip/scene written directly before. I don't plan to continue this same format throughout the story, it just seemed necessary for the way I imagined the first chapter or so.  
Disclaimer: I own no part of Paramount Pictures' Star Trek (2009), or any other part of the vast Star Trek film and/or television franchises.

 **Stardate 2257.198**

 **-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

 **10:42 hours**

 **Archer Ave., Starfleet Academy Campus - West Gate, San Francisco, Earth**

Lady Amanda Grayson was confused.

When her husband had unexpectedly lost consciousness, only to awaken disoriented, she had been concerned. Her husband simply did not do disoriented.

When he had then proceeded with a rather drawn-out, highly uncharacteristic display of open affection towards her - in the semi-public setting of the Vulcan Embassy no less! - her concern had elevated sharply into the realm of worry.

Now, as they entered into sight-range of the gates to Starfleet Academy's campus, she was just plain confused.

After nine years of no communication whatsoever between father and son, Sarek had suddenly decided that he just absolutely had to see Spock?

Not that she would be anything less than grateful for a reconciliation between the two men most dear to her. She just couldn't quite grasp the timing of the whole affair, not to mention the apparent urgency with which Sarek had declared they must locate their son. But if she had thought their arrival at Starfleet would be accompanied by answers to her now-numerous and still-growing list of questions, she would quickly be proven quite wrong.

 **-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

 **09:47 hours, _55 minutes earlier_**

 **Office of Capt. Christopher Pike, Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco, Earth**

Captain Christopher Pike sat in his desk chair, staring - somewhat blankly - at his future First Officer, while the Commander continued to relay specifications and other technical figures to the Captain, regarding the in-progress construction of the Enterprise, in a tone that sounded to Pike to be exaggeratedly monotonous - even for Spock.

He really did like the kid...after all, he'd personally chosen Spock as his future First Officer, hadn't he? When Starfleet finally turned over command of the awe-inspiring U.S.S. Enterprise - his new baby - to him, it would be Spock that stood just over his right shoulder as he gave the orders, from the throne of his Captain's Chair, and they embarked on their maiden voyage.

Most of the Fleet had been shocked when Capt. Pike had chosen the newly-promoted, rather socially-inept, but undeniably brilliant Vulcan to be his First Officer. Those who objected to Commander Spock's appointment as future First Officer aboard what was intended to become the Fleet's new flagship protested that his command experience in the field was severely lacking. Entirely inadequate for such a prestigious and significant posting. Of course, how much field command experience could any man have realistically acquired by the age of just 27? And yet, even at his uncommonly young age, the half-Vulcan had already managed to distinguish himself greatly enough to have earned the rank of 'commander'.

But regardless of the Commander's qualifications, the simple fact was that at the moment...he had Chris practically bored to tears and the Captain found himself unable to prevent his attention from wandering.

That is, up until Spock's seemingly endless droning abruptly stopped. Mid-sentence. Not that Chris had truthfully been paying close enough attention anymore to have told you what had been said in the first half of that sentence. The sudden hush of silence in the office, however, was striking enough to have cleared the fog the Captain had been in throughout much of Spock's progress report. Pulling his gaze away from the window out of which he had been staring for the last several minutes, and shifting his focus back to his curiously silent First Officer, he was rather shocked to find the man across the desk from him in a state that Chris would usually have described as 'out cold'. The younger man had clearly not been expecting the sudden loss of consciousness, judging by the awkward manner in which he was currently slumped over, nearly falling out of his chair - a position Pike was sure Spock would think terribly undignified.

 **-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

 **09:47, _simultaneously_**

 **East Quad, Starfleet Academy Campus, San Francisco, Earth**

Often the only thought powerful enough to motivate him to stay physically present day after day, and month after month for the monotony that was Starfleet Academy, was that of the ever-nearing opportunities to embark on a long-term deep-space exploration mission with nothing and no one to rely on besides your ship and her crew. That was the Starfleet he had signed up for - real-life danger and excitement, on a ship, out among the distant stars. So he had undeniably felt rather cheated when he had realized that the majority of those very instructors meant to be preparing the cadets for the challenges of interstellar travel and exploration - from the execution of delicate, complex, and vital missions to just surviving everyday life in space - had never even set foot outside of Earth's solar system on a passenger ship, much less actually spent any significant periods of time deployed among the far-reaching ships of the Fleet.

On the last Friday morning of lectures before summer term exams were set to begin, Dr. Leonard McCoy could be found lounging in the freshly mown grass of the East Quad lawns, head thrown back, weight supported behind him on his elbows, eyes closed, enjoying the bright mid-July morning sunshine beating down on his face and the scent of summer carried on the wind - the scent of life in full bloom. McCoy's roommate and perpetual pain in the good doctor's ass, Jim Kirk, lay approximately two feet to his right - also with eyes closed, though flat on his back, head cushioned underneath by his arms folded behind it, revelling in the thought of only one more day of boring, unstimulating lectures. Neither had spoken in at least five minutes, as they listened to the sounds of the rare, yet highly-valued, perfect San Francisco day - the rustling of the leaves in the trees with the wind, the distant crashing of waves on the rocks of the bay, the muted calls of the sea birds also enjoying the day's fine weather, and the nuanced cadence of another term winding down for Starfleet Academy.

 **09:49, _2 minutes later_**

Thanks to the exceptional quality of the day, their positions sprawled in the sweet-smelling grass, and the gentle hum of campus life around them, it is therefore entirely understandable - even in spite of Dr. McCoy's unparalleled skills as a physician and diagnostician - that Jim Kirk's unexpected loss of consciousness went unnoticed by his nearby companion.

Not until Jim reawakened did Leonard notice anything at all anomalous. First, Jim shot up out of his reclined position and onto his feet. The sudden movement in such close proximity grabbed Leonard's attention and, opening his eyes, he looked up at his friend to find the unfailingly cocky, absolutely-sure-of-himself Kirk frantically surveying their surroundings in the quad with an expression of utter bewilderment upon his face.

After nearly a minute of this behaviour, Kirk at last turned his gaze down to the person nearest him, the man still lazing on his back in the grass but now with one hand at his brow to act as a visor against the bright sun obscuring his vision of the other man.

Thankful to recognize at least one familiar component of his surroundings, Jim Kirk quickly dropped down to what was almost a crouching position near the ground - apparently ready for action against some yet-to-be-determined threat.

"Bones, what's going on!? How did we get here? Are we where I think we are? How the hell did we get here?" Kirk whispered in rapid-fire succession to the other man.

Clearly confused, both by Kirk's bizarre line of questioning, as well as his tone, Leonard simply responded back with "Jim, why are you whispering?"

 **-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

 **09:49 hours, _simultaneously_**

 **Simulation Course, Starfleet Off-World Exploration Training Ground, Mars**

"Uhura, vhat are you doing?" yelled Cadet Pavel Chekov, from 10 metres across a barren, alien landscape. The normally timid, mild-mannered cadet rarely voiced his opinion among the other cadets, in hopes that they would not notice and/or take issue with the fact that he was several years younger than even the most junior of their ranks, at only seventeen.

But this was a different situation entirely! In Pavel's experience, Cadet Uhura was generally the very picture of decorum and responsibility expected of future Starfleet officers. Thus, he was rather confused by her suddenly irrational behaviour and nearly-inconsolable emotional state.

"WHERE IS SHE!? WHERE IS AMANDA!? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!? WHERE IS MY BABY!? " the usually composed senior cadet ranted.

After having unexpectedly abandoned the official communications procedures necessary for the successful completion of the training simulation they were running - a responsibility which she had been executing flawlessly not two minutes ago - Nyota Uhura had turned, with no warning outside of the sudden cessation of her duties, upon her fellow cadets to desperately interrogate them.

The others on their team were becoming increasingly worried over how Uhura's unexplained manic state would affect the evaluation the team received for their work in the current simulation. Pavel Chekov, however, was more concerned for the mental and physical well-being of Cadet Uhura, one of few genuine friends he made in his three years at the Academy thus far.

Nyota Uhura had been the only person in his First Year Interspecies Ethics supplementary tutorial group to stand up for Chekov as several of their classmates had mercilessly harassed and humiliated the then-fifteen year old cadet on a regular basis. His tormentors never hesitated to exploit his young age, hopelessly strong accent that often made his speech nearly unintelligible to others, and his generally shy, often awkward overall demeanor when ridiculing Pavel. Even the T.A. responsible for conducting the tutorial group turned a blind eye on the harassment taking place before, after, and sometimes even during group meetings, allowing the persecution to occur repeatedly without any repercussions for the bullies. Nyota Uhura, on the other hand, had not hesitated to offer Pavel aid in any manner necessary, beginning from the tutorial group's very first meeting in which she had witnessed him subject to their classmates' abuse.

She proceeded to take the young Russian mathematical prodigy under her wing, even going so far as to set aside a one hour block of time, twice per week, from her busy schedule to meet with Pavel and help him improve his spoken Standard. Pavel knew Uhura's protection and support of those in need was not limited to his case - he knew she also regularly acted as a steadfast advocate for her roommate, Gaila, by offering the Academy's sole Orion cadet compassion, understanding, and encouragement in the face of frequent interspecies incompatibilities, extensive culture shock, and occasionally cases of outright bigotry. Her altruistic and insightful nature, combined with a vivacious personality made Nyota Uhura an ideal friend to a misfit such as Pavel Chekov. And he was fully aware that her presence in his life at the Academy was necessary for him, both to continue flourishing academically and to maintain his sanity while doing so.

Pavel's fierce respect for Nyota Uhura wasn't just solely based upon her kindness to a lonely, outcast, boy-genius either. In the nearly three years they had been friends, Pavel had never seen Nyota react to any situation, whether professional or personal in nature, in anything less than a calm, composed, and professional manner...aside from one notable exception: any instance in which she was forced to speak to, interact with, or even be in the general vicinity of Jim Kirk.

So it was in light of this knowledge of Nyota's character that Cadet Pavel Chekov was truly alarmed by his friend's present behaviour and deeply troubled with concern for her current well-being.


End file.
